Here is the latest news from The Associated Press at 10:40 a.m. EDT

May 16, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump Jr. says he doesn’t remember a lot when it comes to the circumstances around a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian attorney. Transcripts released Wednesday detail an interview the president’s eldest son gave to the Senate Judiciary Committee last year. They show that Trump Jr. says he doesn’t remember ever discussing the Russia investigation at all with his father. He also doesn’t recall several emails and phone calls leading up to the meeting.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the Trump administration is “still hopeful” that a planned summit with North Korea will take place. Sanders said Wednesday that threats from the North to scrap the meeting were had been expected. Sanders said President Donald Trump is “ready for very tough negotiations,” adding that “if they want to meet, we’ll be ready and if they don’t that’s OK.” She said if there is no meeting, the U.S. will continue with its campaign of maximum pressure.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate intelligence committee has recommended that the full Senate confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the CIA. The panel voted 10-5 in favor of Gina Haspel in a closed session Wednesday. Haspel had already picked up Democratic support and appears on a path to confirmation. The full Senate is expected to vote on her nomination as early as this week.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is congratulating Lou Barletta for winning the Republican primary in Pennsylvania’s 2018 Senate race and Sen. Deb Fischer for her GOP primary win in Nebraska. In a pair of tweets Wednesday, Trump celebrated both candidates.

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Palestinian envoy to Romania has been recalled in apparent protest for Romania’s support of the U.S. relocating its embassy to Jerusalem. Romania was one of four countries that recently blocked a European Union statement criticizing the U.S. for moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to contested Jerusalem on Monday. Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary also blocked the statement.